These days, it seems as though “Big Data” is on the tip of everybody’s tongue in agriculture.

It seems like every couple of weeks I get a postcard in the mail from a local Internet provider promising a more reliable high-speed connection. I'll often pause for a moment and consider making a switch, thinking of those occasional frustrations that pop up with my current provider.

I like a handy mobile app as much as the next consumer, whether it's to check the weather forecast ahead of a weekend getaway or simply to track another disappointing Milwaukee Brewers' loss.

Talking with both farmers and dealers in different parts of the country, most say it's been a smooth planting season, aside from a few hiccups. Looking at the May 11 crop progress report from the USDA, both corn and soybean planting were well ahead of 2014.